Steve Sitao Xu

Steve Sitao Xu is Chief Representative of the Economist Group in China, China Director of Global Forecasting of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and Director of Advisory Services for the Economist Corporate Network in China.

Sitao’s first expertise was on China economics, and today, he remains one of the region’s leading China specialists. Over the years, he has broadened his expertise to encompass Asia (ex-Japan). He has a track record and first hand experience in advising companies and investors how to understand and navigate through Asian currency markets, interest rate movements, and macro-economic drivers of the region’s growth.

Sitao began his career as the Economist for Indonesia, Korea, and Thailand in Singapore, working for MMS International of Standard and Poor’s Group, from 1995 to 1996. He was then recruited in 1996 to work in Hong Kong for Standard Chartered Bank as Regional Treasury Economist. Following this, he became Societe Generale’s Chief Economist for Asia (ex-Japan). Most recently, Sitao worked for ICBC (Asia), the overseas flagship of China’s largest bank (the world’s largest bank based on market capitalization) as Head of Economics.

He has been a columnist for Caijing and 21st Century, China’s leading business publications and has contributed frequently to leading regional and international publications, such as YaleGlobal Magazine, the Asian Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. He appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other TV shows as a commentator on Asia and an accomplished public speaker and lecturer.

Currently, Sitao is interested in how China’s three transformations, namely its consumer markets, financial markets, and social welfare will impact international companies operating in China.

Sitao is on the Speaker Retainer Programme for the Virginia-based CFA Institute since 2004 and speaks regularly on asset allocation strategy in the context of China to institutional investors, central banks, endowment funds, and regulators in Asia, Europe, South Africa, and the US. Sitao is also an independent director for Hunan Valin Steel Co., Ltd.

Sitao holds a B.A. in Economics from Peking University, an M.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut, and a M.S. in Finance from Boston College.